System and method for simplified setup of a universal remote control

ABSTRACT

A system and method for enabling set up of a controlling device capable of controlling a plurality of appliances, via an interactive instruction set and associated programming. The programming is accessible by a STB or other controllable appliance and is configured to appropriately display interactive instructions and prompts to a user during a user initiated set up procedure for configuration of another controllable device (e.g., DVD, VCR, DVR, etc) available to the user. Appropriate set up data, generally in the form of command library codes, is displayed to the user by the interactive instruction set and associated programming for entry and trial by the user in set up of the desired appliance(s).

RELATED APPLICATION DATA

This application claims the benefit of and is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/026,768, filed on Feb. 14, 2011, which application claims the benefit of and is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/768,325 (now U.S. Pat. No. 7,969,514), filed on Apr. 27, 2010, which application claims the benefit of and is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/515,962 (now U.S. Pat. No. 7,907,222), filed on Sep. 5, 2006, which application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/715,229 filed on Sep. 8, 2005, which applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to remote control systems and, more particularly, to a system and method for setting up and configuring a universal remote control to command functions of one or more types of remotely controllable appliances of one or more manufacturers. Exemplary types of appliances include, but are not limited to televisions, video cassette recorders (VCRs), cable boxes, disk players, digital video recorders (DVRs), thermostats, game consoles, etc.

Manufacturers typically provide a remote control with an appliance and, as such, different appliance types of different manufacturers are often commanded with different remote controls. To minimize the number of individual remote controls a user requires, universal remote controls have been developed. Accordingly, universal remote controls for commanding various functions of various types of appliances of various manufacturers have become quite widespread. By way of example, universal remote controls are described in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,959,810, 5,255,313 and 5,552,917.

In a common method of setting up a universal remote control, codes for commanding functions of an appliance are learned from a remote control supplied by the manufacturer with that appliance. The learned codes, which are stored within the universal remote control, are then available for subsequent transmission to the appliance. Alternatively, codes for commanding functions of appliances of various types and various manufacturers can be preprogrammed into the universal remote control. The user then interacts with the universal remote control to identify to the universal remote control which appliance(s) the user desires to command, i.e., the user manually enters an appliance or brand code, usually obtained from a tabulation in a printed user manual or the like, into the universal remote control and the universal remote control uses that user provided identity information to access those preprogrammed codes that are appropriate for commanding the identified appliance(s). In this regard, examples of known methods for performing an initial setup of an universal remote control may be found in, for example, the above mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,959,810 as well as U.S. Pat. No. 5,614,906, entitled “Method for Selecting a Remote Control Command Set,” or U.S. Pat. No. 4,703,359 entitled “Universal Remote Control Unit with Model Identification Capability,” each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

An additional system and method for setting up a universal remote control is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,650,248.

While known setup methods do work for their intended purpose, it has been seen that the process of setting up and configuring a universal remote control can be demanding, exacting, and generally frustrating for many users. For example, user manuals or other documents containing setup codes and entry instructions may be lost or misplaced, or may be superseded as brand and/or model names evolve, etc. Accordingly, a need exists for a simplified and more user friendly system and method for manually setting up and configuring a universal remote control.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with this need, the following describes a system and method for allowing a universal remote control to be easily setup and configured to command appliances of various types and various manufacturers.

A better appreciation of the objects, advantages, features, properties, and relationships of the system and method for setting up and configuring a universal remote control will be obtained from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings which set forth illustrative embodiments which are indicative of the various ways in which the principles of the system and method may be employed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For use in better understanding the exemplary systems and methods for setting up a universal remote control which are described hereinafter, reference may be had to preferred embodiments shown in the following drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary system in which the universal remote control may be used;

FIG. 2 illustrates a top view of an exemplary universal remote control for use in the system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram view of various components of the exemplary universal remote control of FIG. 2;

FIGS. 4 through 6 illustrate the system of FIG. 1 at various stages during initial setup of the exemplary universal remote control;

FIG. 7 illustrates, in flow chart form, the steps performed during initial setup of the exemplary universal remote control;

FIG. 8 illustrates the system of FIG. 1 at various stages during an exemplary key mapping setup of the exemplary remote control;

FIG. 9 illustrates, in flow chart form, the steps performed during key mapping setup of the exemplary remote control; and

FIG. 10 illustrates an instruction sheet for an exemplary alternate method for key mapping setup of a remote control.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following describes a system and methods for setting up and configuring a universal remote control to command one or more functions of one or more types of appliances of one or more manufacturers. By way of example, FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary system 110 wherein a universal remote control 100 supplied together with a cable set top box 102 may be used to command functions of various appliances, illustrated as a TV set 104 and a VCR 106.

For use in remotely commanding a device to perform a common and/or extended operational function (i.e., a function that may not be widely supported by devices of a common device type), the universal remote control 100, an example of which is illustrated in FIG. 2, includes a set of command keys within a key matrix which are assigned to operational functions. In this regard, common operational functions include functions that are usually widely supported by devices of a common device type (e.g., power 202, digit tuning 204, volume control 208, channel up/down control 206, media transport 210, etc.) The universal remote control 100 also includes device keys 212, e.g., “AUX,” “CBL,” “VCR,” and “TV,” the activation of which places the universal remote control 100 into a mode to transmit commands to a particular type of device, and a setup key 208. It will be appreciated that, while illustrated as hard keys, the keys of the universal remote control 100 may implemented as soft keys, for example, by being displayed on an LCD touch screen or the like. By way of further example, referring to FIG. 3, the universal remote control 100 may include, as needed for a particular application, a processor 300 coupled to one or more memory devices (such as a ROM memory 308, a RAM memory 310, and/or non-volatile read/write memory 306), a key matrix 302 (e.g., physical buttons, a touch screen display, or a combination thereof), an internal clock and timer 301, transmission circuit(s) 304 (e.g., IR and/or RF), receiver circuit(s) and/or transceiver circuit(s) (e.g., IR and/or RF—not illustrated), a means 303 to provide visual feedback to the consumer (e.g, LED, display, and/or the like), means to provide audio feedback to the user (e.g., a speaker—not illustrated), a power supply 307, and/or a serial I/O port (e.g., a jack or contacts—not illustrated). As will be understood by those of skill in the art, the memory device(s) includes executable instructions that are intended to be executed by the processor 300 to control the operation of the universal remote control 100. In this manner, the processor 100 may be programmed to control the various electronic components within the universal remote control 100, e.g., to monitor the power supply 307, to cause the transmission of signals, display icons and/or HTML pages, etc. The non-volatile read/write memory 306, for example, an EEPROM or the like, may be provided to store setup data and parameters as necessary such that data is not required to be reloaded after battery changes. It is to be understood that the memory devices may take the form of any type of readable media, such as, for example, a Smart Card, memory stick, a chip, a hard disk, a magnetic disk, and/or an optical disk. Still further, it will be appreciated that some or all of the illustrated memory devices may be physically incorporated within the same IC chip as the microprocessor 300 (a so called “microcontroller”) and, as such, they are shown separately in FIG. 3 only for the sake of clarity.

To cause the universal remote control 100 to perform an action, the universal remote control 100 is adapted to be responsive to events, such as a sensed consumer interaction with the key matrix 302, receipt of a transmission, etc. In response to an event appropriate instructions and/or data within the memory devices are executed and/or accessed. For example, when a command key is activated on the universal remote control 100, the universal remote control 100 may retrieve a code data value corresponding to the activated command key from a memory device and access instructions to transmit the retrieved code data value to a device in a format recognizable by the device. It will be appreciated that the instructions within the memory devices can be used not only to cause the transmission of command codes and/or data to the devices but also to perform local operations. While not limiting, local operations that may be performed by the universal remote control 100 include displaying information/data, favorite channel setup, macro button setup, command function key relocation, etc. Since examples of local operations can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,481,256, 5,959,751, and 6,014,092 they will not be discussed in greater detail herein.

To initially program the universal remote control 100 to access the operational functions of a device, the consumer may use an improved system and method for obtaining, entering, and testing device code information, one exemplary embodiment of which is described hereafter.

Turning now to FIG. 4, in an exemplary embodiment a remote control 100 may be supplied together with a cable or satellite set top box (“STB”) 102. Remote control 100 may include a universal library of infrared codes for use in controlling other types of appliances which are commonly utilized in conjunction with a set top box, such as for example a TV 104 and/or a VCR 106. To facilitate setting up remote control 100 to command operation of appliances 104, 106, STB 102 may be equipped with data 404 and application program 406, preferably stored locally within STB 102 on mass storage 402 or on a device otherwise accessible to STB 102. It will be appreciated that mass storage 402 may take the form of flash memory, ROM memory, RAM memory, memory card or stick, hard disk drive, CD ROM, etc., or any combination of the above as appropriate. It will be further appreciated that data 404 and application 402 may be periodically updated over the cable network and/or may in certain embodiments even be partially or fully resident at the cable headend or other remote source accessible by STB 102. The data 404 and application 402 may also be updated using a device other than the STB 102. For example, if the data 404 and application 402 are maintained on removable memory, the removable memory may be updated via a personal computer or other device with an Internet connection and then replaced into the STB 102. It should also be appreciated that while the exemplary embodiment below is presented in terms of interactions between a remote control 100 and an application 402 resident in an STB, in alternative embodiments application 402 may be hosted on, and the interactions may occur with, any suitable appliance such as a TV, DVR, AV receiver, etc. without limitation.

Application 406 is responsive to IR signals issued by remote control 100 during the user setup process as illustrated in the flowchart of FIG. 7 and described below:

The user enters a Setup Mode by, for example, pressing and holding setup key 208. The entering of the Setup Mode may be signaled to a user by the LED 303 blinking twice (e.g., upon pressing and holding the setup key for approximately 3 seconds). Upon entering Setup Mode the remote control transmits a specific “setup” IR code to STB 102 which is interpreted as a command to initiate the “Remote Setup/Help” application 406. Alternatively or as a backup, in certain embodiments application 406 may also be invoked from STB 102′s built-in menu system, upon activation of a dedicated key on the STB 102, etc.

In connection with entering the setup mode, the remote control 100 may configure its keyboard as follows:

-   -   Navigation (Left, Right, Up, Down and Select/OK keys) 214, Exit         key 216, and device keys 212 are adapted to cause transmission         of infrared command data in the format recognized by STB 102;     -   Digit entry keys 204 do not transmit commands but serve only for         input of appliance setup codes as described hereafter; and     -   Function keys such as volume 208, channel up/down 206, transport         keys 210, etc. are adapted to cause transmission of infrared         command data in the format of the appliance under test as         described hereafter.

In connection with the following paragraphs, the reader may wish to refer to FIG. 7 which presents, in flowchart form, a summary of the steps described below and illustrated in FIGS. 4 through 6. Upon initiation, STB application 406 may display on TV 104 a user prompt such as for example: “What device do you want to setup for control?” together with a list of valid device types, e.g. “TV”, “VCR”, “Receiver”, etc. The application 406 may also prompt the user to select an appropriate language for the prompts. Application 406 may additionally display messages for general user guidance such as for example “Press Exit at any time to exit remote setup and return to watching TV.”

In the exemplary embodiment the user may then select, using navigation keys 214, a desired device type from the displayed list, for example “VCR.” In an alternative embodiment, the user may directly select the device type by actuating one of the device keys 212 of the remote control, which may in that instance be adapted to transmit a signal to the STB indicative of the device type selected. Application 406 may respond by displaying a confirmation of the selected device type together with scrollable list 410 of valid brand names for that device type, as illustrated in FIG. 4. The brand names that comprise this list are obtained by reference to data file 404. In this way it will be understood that certain keys or groups of keys on remote control 100 may be temporarily reconfigured (generally during the setup procedure) to transmit command data to STB for purposes of user interaction with application 406 during the setup process.

The user may then select (once again via use of keys 214) a desired brand name, for example “Samsung.” Application 406 may respond by displaying the remote control setup code number most likely to result in selection of an infrared code set which will operate appliances of the type and manufacture indicated (once again, obtained by reference to data 404). In the exemplary embodiment presented, this number may include a leading digit to indicate to the remote control programming which device type is to be setup, e.g. “2” for “VCR”. In alternative embodiments where the user may already have explicitly entered the device type being set up via one of the keys 212, this may not be necessary.

The user may then enter this number, for example “2” “0” “0” “6” “0” (502 in FIG. 5), into remote control 100 using digit entry keys 204. Upon entry of the final digit of the sequence, remote control 100:

-   -   Configures itself to transmit commands in the indicated infrared         command format in response to actuation of function keys 206,         208, 210, etc., and     -   Transmits an infrared command in STB format to notify the STB         application 406 that device code entry is complete.

Upon receipt of the completion signal from remote control 100, STB application 406 may display a listing of suggested function(s) 602 to test operation of the target appliance using the code just entered, together with a user message to, for example, press “setup” if the suggested code works, or to press “select” to try a different code, all as illustrated in FIG. 6.

If the user activates the “setup” key, indicative that the current code being tested has been found suitable to command operation of the appliance, remote control 100 again transmits a completion signal in STB infrared format, which is interpreted by application 406 in STB 102 as a successful conclusion of the setup process and causes application 406 to terminate execution, returning STB 100 to normal operation. Likewise, remote control 100 also returns to normal operation, configured now to issue commands in the chosen format that device type (VCR in the example presented) is selected by activation of one of keys 212.

If on the other hand, the user activates the “select” key, indicative that the current code being tested is unable to command operation of the appliance, remote control 100 transmits the “select” command signal in STB infrared format, which causes application 406 to retrieve and display the next most likely setup code number contained in data 404, so that the user may repeat the test steps using this new code. This setup process may continue until the user finally exits by activating the “setup” or “exit” key, or alternatively, data 404 may include an indicator that no further possibilities exist, upon eventual retrieval of which application 406 may cause a display of instructions to the user to abort the setup process by pressing the “exit” key and, for example, call a customer service number. In an alternate embodiment, application 406 may be configured to monitor command data transmitted from remote control 100 during the setup process for use in automatically progressing through the various setup instructions and prompts associated with the setup application. By way of example only, application 406 may be configured to monitor command data transmitted from remote control 100 in order to echo key presses on the TV screen as a means of visual verification to the user that a setup code was entered correctly, or to present prompts such as “Did your DVD player respond to the Power On command? Press “1” for yes, or press “0” for no” whereupon receipt of either the “1” or “0” key command data will cause application 406 to proceed automatically to another instruction or prompt in the setup procedure.

In certain embodiments, after the appropriate command code sets for the devices to be controlled have been selected as described above, it may be desirable to further configure certain operational characteristics of remote control 100. In particular, as described for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,947,101 or 7,013,434 (both of like assignee and incorporated herein by reference in their entirety) it may be advantageous to assign certain subsets of the keys of remote control 100 to always transmit command codes corresponding to a specific device. As appropriate for a particular embodiment, this may take the form of a fixed assignment of certain keys to always send the same code regardless of the device currently selected via device keys 212 (as described in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 6,947,101) or this may take the form of a separate special page or device mode (e.g. “Home Theater mode”) comprised of a composite of groups of key functions from other device modes (as described in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 7,013,434), or some combination thereof. For example, users whose equipment is configured to route all audio signals through their a/v receiver may wish to have the volume keys 208 of exemplary remote control 100 always transmit commands that are intended to control corresponding operations of the receiver (i.e., the device code setup on the AUX mode key 220). Cable or satellite subscribers may wish to have the channel tuning keys 206 and numeric pad 204 always transmit commands that are intended to control corresponding operations of the STB (it will be appreciated that remote controls which are supplied together with a STB may already be factory pre-configured in this manner, however remote controls offered as aftermarket accessories and/or supplied together with other appliances may not be.)

To this end, upon completion of device setup, application 406 may interactively prompt the user to enter information regarding device usage and system configuration, which information may then be used to configure key assignments, automatically program macro command sequences such as “all on”, “all off”, “watch a movie”, etc., or for any other appropriate remote control configuration purpose. An exemplary method for performing key mapping is illustrated in FIG. 8 and summarized in flowchart form in FIG. 9. By way of this example, upon initiation of this particular setup operation, which may be initiated in a manner similar to that described above, application 406 may display on TV 104 a message 802 requesting that the user indicate to the remote control which device is normally used for controlling system volume. In the example presented, the choices 803 are TV, audio receiver, or VCR. Without limitation, this list may include all device types supporting the operation for which is setup is desired, be limited to those device types that the system has learned, through the initial configuration process, are to be controlled via the remote control, etc. The user may then indicate to the remote control which of the listed devices is to be used for this operation by activation of an appropriate one of the device keys 212 (“TV”, “Aux” or “VCR” in this instance). Activation of a device key may then cause the remote control 100 to set it's internal key mapping for volume control (i.e., the command codes which are to be transmitted by the volume and mute keys 208 during normal operation) to match the device indicated. Remote control 100 may also transmit a specific command code to STB 102 indicating that a volume selection has been made. Receipt of this command by the STB may cause application 406 to display the next user prompt 804 on TV 104, requesting user selection of the device usually used for movie playback. In a similar manner, a user selection of playback device may be performed. With reference to the flowchart of FIG. 9 (902,904), in systems where remote control 100 was supplied in conjunction with STB 102 and application 406 is resident in the STB, the step of selecting a channel tuning device may be bypassed since in this instance it is the STB by default. In other situations, the user may be prompted 806 to specify a device to be used for channel tuning, once again in a similar manner to that previously described. Upon completion of this stage of the setup process, in certain embodiments remote control 100 may also adjust 906 macro command sequences (such as “all on” or “all off”, or activity initiating macros such as “watch a movie”) as required by the newly-entered device preferences.

Turning now to FIG. 10, in certain embodiments where application 406 is not available to or is not supported by the STB and/or a display device such as TV 104 is not readily available (for example, in instances where the remote control configuration is being performed prior to the equipment being hooked up, where an earlier generation STB which does not support additional applications is still in use, etc.) an alternative method of configuring key mapping assignments may be offered either in place of or in conjunction with the methods presented above. This may take the form of a configuration table 1002 made available to the user of remote control 102 for example by publication in the user manual, posting on a Web site, etc. Table 1002 may comprise a matrix listing key groups 1004 together with possible permutations 1006 and an identifier 1008 for each (e.g., a number). In this example, users of remote control 100 may be instructed to invoke a special setup mode (e.g. by activating a specific sequence of keys on remote control 100) and then input the indicated identification data for their system configuration. For example, in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 10, a user who changes channels via a cable STB, routes his audio signals through an AV receiver, and uses a DVD player to watch movies may enter code “0”,“3”, corresponding to the configuration represented by row 1010 of the illustrated table.

It will be appreciated that all or part of data 404 and/or application 406 may be downloaded into STB 102 (or other application host device as appropriate) from a cable or satellite headend, the internet, the PSTN, etc., as is well known in the art, either as a periodic update or on demand when the remote control setup feature is invoked. In this manner, the data used to guide the user through the setup process may be refreshed whenever new or revised brand names or cross references occur, to allow for language expansion, etc. Further, in situations where multiple remote control models or revisions have been offered by a supplier of the STB or other host device, alternative data sets 404 may be downloaded, for example based on user response to an initial screen displaying images of the various remote control versions.

* * *

While specific embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications and alternatives to those details could be developed in light of the overall teachings of the disclosure. For example, it should be appreciated that any of the above described methods can be used alone or in combination to setup the remote control 100. Additionally, as noted, the functionality of the universal remote control 100 can be included in other controlling devices such as PDAs, personal computers, home devices, or the like. Further, while the exemplary embodiment above is presented in terms of interactions between a set top box and a universal remote control, it will be appreciated that many other appliance types, e.g. TVs, PVRs, DVDs, PCs, etc. may be substituted for the STB without altering the spirit of the invention. Accordingly, it will be understood that the particular arrangements and procedures disclosed are meant to be illustrative only and not limiting as to the scope of the invention which is to be given the full breadth of the appended claims and any equivalents thereof.

All of the cited patents and patent applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for use in setting up a controlling device used to command a plurality of controllable appliances, the system comprising: a remote server having an associated data repository in which is stored instruction data for use in connection with setting up the controlling device; and a first controllable appliance in communication with the remote server, the first controllable appliance having a processing device and a computer readable media on which is stored executable instructions which, when executed by the processing device, cause the first controllable appliance to respond to a signal received from the controlling device indicative of the controlling device being placed into a state in which the controlling device is to be setup to command a second controllable appliance by initiating a display of instructions for setting up the controlling device to command the second controllable appliance; wherein the displayed instructions are based at least in part on instruction data received from the remote server.
 2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the displayed instructions comprise an input element activation sequence to be used on input elements of the controlling device to thereby setup the controlling device to command the second controllable appliance.
 3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the instruction data is provided automatically to the first controllable device by the remote server.
 4. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the executable instructions are provided to the first controllable appliance from the remote server.
 5. The system as recited in claim 3, wherein the at least a portion of the executable instructions are provided automatically to the first controllable appliance by the remote server.
 6. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the remote server and the first controllable appliance are in communication via a wide area network.
 7. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the first controllable appliance responds to the signal received from the controlling device indicative of the controlling device being placed into a state in which the controlling device is to be setup to command a second controllable appliance by initiating a display of a series of navigable menus wherein the navigable menus are provided to lead to the display of the instructions for setting up the controlling device to command the second controllable appliance.
 8. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the series of navigable menus provide for a user to select a device type and brand of the second controllable appliance. 